Congestion pricing reprieve offered to NY by Trump administration

And Heastie predicts an on-time budget but sticking points remain.

Good afternoon — it’s Thursday and the first day of spring. 🌸

In today’s CapCon:

• The Trump administration is extending the deadline for New York to end congestion pricing but it comes with a catch.

• We asked Assembly Speaker Carl E. Heastie about his dog at the Capitol.

• The All-Electric Buildings Act takes effect next year. The state is now proposing a carve-out for when buildings can be exempt.

• Heastie is predicting an on-time state budget but says sticking points remain between Hochul and his chamber.

• Hochul wants universal free school meals this year but said Thursday the state can’t make up for cuts to the program if the U.S. Education Department closes.

• New Bills of Note: An energy storage siting task force (Harckham), transparency at the Public Authorities Control Board (Braunstein) and gambling addictions (Vanel).

Names in today’s CapCon: Gov. Kathy Hochul, U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, President Donald J. Trump, Assembly Speaker Carl E. Heastie, NYSED Commissioner Betty A. Rosa, Sen. Peter Harckham, Assemblyman Clyde Vanel, Assemblyman Ed Braunstein

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(Seth Wenig/Associated Press)

🚘 Trump administration extends New York’s congestion pricing deadline

Tomorrow (Friday) was the deadline set by the U.S. Department of Transportation for New York to end congestion pricing, the $9 toll that started in January for drivers in the busiest parts of Manhattan.

Gov. Kathy Hochul has been consistently insistent that the state did not plan to comply with that order. The cameras were not going to be shut off.

It’s been like a really weird game of chicken between Hochul and President Donald J. Trump. They met last week to discuss several things, including congestion pricing.

But Hochul has won the game for now. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Thursday that New York would have another 30 days to either comply with the order or strike a deal with his agency.

“We will provide New York with a 30-day extension as discussions continue,” Duffy said. He rescinded the federal government’s approval for the toll last month.

That makes the new deadline April 19. Mark your calendars.

The reprieve comes with a cost. Duffy said federal funding from New York will be on the line if New York doesn’t end the program by then or come to some kind of agreement with the administration. The state has also sued to save the toll.

“Know that the billions of dollars the federal government sends to New York are not a blank check,” Duffy said. “Continued noncompliance will not be taken lightly.”

Avi Small, Hochul’s spokesman, said that Duffy’s statement, which he made in a post on X, doesn’t change anything on their end.

“Congestion pricing is working. Traffic is down, business is up and support for this first-in-the-nation initiative continues to grow,” Small said. “We’ve seen Secretary Duffy’s tweet, which doesn’t change what Gov. Hochul has been saying all along: the cameras are staying on.”

Heastie with his dog Paisley this week (Will Waldron/Times Union)

🪰 Fly on the wall: Heastie’s dog in the Capitol

Fly on the wall is a new addition to our newsletter where we’ll provide insights from offbeat observations.

From Raga Justin, Times Union Capitol Bureau

Move aside, pigeons. There’s a new animal roaming the state Capitol.

Assembly Speaker Carl E. Heastie has been spotted in recent weeks toting his new puppy, Paisley, around the Capitol complex. Paisley also attended a news conference last week and received a glowing reception from reporters (In all fairness, she’s very cute). And earlier this week, Heastie’s driver, an Assembly security staffer, was holding the dog’s leash as they walked with the speaker through the Empire State Plaza concourse.

But the speaker and his puppy have raised some eyebrows among Capitol observers who note the pet runs afoul of policies set by the Office of General Services that limit four-legged companions to licensed service animals.

When asked by the Times Union Thursday whether he had received special permission from OGS to bring his pet to work, Heastie didn’t bite.

(Here’s a 30-day free trial for all of you dog lovers. Forward to your friends!)